


It Don't End in Blood

by ThePoisonLily



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Based on Brothers Apart AU, Bill Harvelle isn't dead, Brothers Apart Multiverse, Curses, Fear, Gen, Protective Bobby Singer, Protective Ellen Harvelle, Shrinking, Shrunken, Thank you Nightmares06, Tiny Sam Winchester, Witch Curses, Witches, Young Jo Harvelle, Young Sam Winchester, shrunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 21:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18677902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePoisonLily/pseuds/ThePoisonLily
Summary: When Sam Winchester was ten years old, he had a run-in with a witch that changed his life forever. Now, trapped at mere inches in height, Sam has been kidnapped by a hunter who inadvertently brought him in contact with the only people who might be able to save him. How will the Harvelle hunters handle this turn of events?This is based on the Brothers Apart AU by Nightmares06. This work is an entry into their 2019 Contest!





	1. A New Perspective

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Brothers Apart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2507237) by [nightmares06](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightmares06/pseuds/nightmares06). 



> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this work! Ever since this idea popped into my head, I haven't been able to shake it. What would happen if Sam ended up at the Roadhouse after he shrank? How would that occur and how could that change everything for him? This is just a look at the day Sam woke up from his curse and found his world crashing all around him.
> 
> Also, I have to give a shout out to CometDragon for being my beta reader for the last few months while I worked on this! And, of course, I owe the whole premise of the story to the wonderful works of Nightmare06! If you haven't read any of the Brothers Apart Multiverse, I highly suggest checking it out!
> 
> I do not own Supernatural or any of it's characters! Benjamin Tackitt is the only character here that sprung from my imagination.

It wasn’t that Sam hadn’t known what the family business was. He was well aware that his father would go hunting supernatural creatures when he left his sons alone in various motels. He remembered the day that he had discovered his dad’s journal and confronted Dean about what was written in its pages. While he had never joined his family on their hunts, he had learned as much as he could about the things that go bump in the night. In theory, he was familiar with the monsters from myths and legends.

Theories often don’t hold up to reality. That was the main problem. Sam knew all about the supernatural but had never imagined that he would be seeing one of those beings in person so soon after learning of their existence. He had expected to have to be at least as old as his brother before he was allowed on a hunt. With how protective his older brother could be, he doubted that Dean would let him go hunt until he felt that Sam was good and ready. Sam just wished that he had been ready much sooner. Everything might have happened differently if he had been.

It had been a typical day for the Winchester brothers. Their dad was away on a hunt while they stayed at some random hotel. How could they know that they, themselves, were being hunted? The witch had appeared in their room without warning. There was barely any time to react. Dean immediately pulled out his gun to fight her, but it was too little too late. As much as Sam wanted to be like his big brother, he couldn’t do it. When it mattered the most, he had let Dean down. He wasn’t ready. He had been frozen with fear. A part of him had scarcely believed that everything he had been told was true. It was one thing to know that monsters were out there, but it was another thing entirely to have a monster appear right in front of you. With just a flick of her wrist, she had pinned Dean to the wall. Deprived of his gun, Dean yelled for Sam to run. Sam couldn’t do it. The proof of how dangerous the world truly was stood right in front of him. Yet, even with this knowledge in his face, all Sam could do was stand stock still even as Dean screamed at him to get away. That’s when the bright flash of light hit him. Then there was nothing but darkness.

There was no way to say how long he had been unconscious, but it felt like only seconds later that Sam opened his eyes to find himself in complete darkness. His mouth felt parched, as though he hadn’t had anything to drink in a while. His head was pounding hard enough that he could almost hear it. He could practically feel the blood pumping in his head.

_No_ , he thought to himself, _I can hear something beating. A rhythmic beating. Almost like a heartbeat._

He could feel vibrations from the loud beating sound shaking him to his bones. It drowned out almost every other sound. Almost, but not all.

Above all, Sam heard a din of voices ringing out as loud as thunder. He couldn’t make out any of them clearly, but could tell what they were, nonetheless.

Attempting to push down the panic creeping up on him, Sam began to grasp around, trying to find a way out of wherever he was. One thing he knew for sure was that where there were voices, there were people. People meant that there could be someone to help him get out of this confined area that he had woken up in.

Sam’s hands, feeling out the space, landed on nothing but a cloth-like material.

_Am I in a bag?_ He thought. _Have I been kidnapped?_

He knew that grownups were constantly warning kids about people who would steal them, tying them up and throwing them into sacks to sneak them out of places. They always warned, but they never gave much advice beyond screaming and kicking. The best he could think of was to find an adult. There was only one way to do that in the situation he was in.

Fear flooded his body as Sam pounded his hands on the walls of his prison. The cloth shook around him as he flailed wildly.

“Help! Somebody, help me!” He croaked out as loudly as his voice would let him. His throat was so dry. He just wished that he could have some water.

A near-deafening voice came from outside of his enclosure. It was almost louder than he was able to comprehend. Close enough that he had to slam his hands over his ears but was still able to understand it perfectly.

“So, Ben,” the woman’s voice said, “it looks like something’s moving in your pocket. You know how I feel about animals in my bar. What exactly did you say you were taking to Mina?”

“Nothing of importance.” Strong vibrations rumbled through Sam as the second voice spoke. It was, if possible, even closer than the first voice.

A huge weight roughly pressed into him from outside of where he was contained. The pressure caused him to cry out in fear and pain. Tears pricked at his eyes as he fought against the weight. His struggles were in vain, but the pressure disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. It left Sam panting in its wake.

The woman’s voice came again. “I’m pretty sure I just heard something that sounded like a voice from in there. Now, I don’t know exactly what you’ve got going on with Mina, but I’m gonna need you to show me what’s in your pocket.”

The second voice, a man’s deep voice, replied. “Now, Ellen, we’ve known each other for a while. Just trust me. This ain’t your problem and I’ll just be getting out of your hair in a few minutes.”

Despite the terror of the loud voices, Sam felt a brief surge of concern at the voice’s words. He had a hunch of which voice was his captor and, even though the words were confusing, he knew that he couldn’t let him walk out of this building without getting someone to help him. This could be his last chance.

With all of his might, Sam kicked out at his confinement, yelling for help all the while. With impossible speed, the weight from earlier returned to press on him, ceasing all of his actions. Tears streamed down Sam’s face and his mouth opened in a silent scream. He had never known a weight powerful enough to still his body while pushing the very breath out of him. The fear of suffocation was amassing as he clung to what little air he could hold.

“Don’t tell me this ain’t my problem. It was my problem the moment you set foot in this roadhouse.” The woman, Ellen, said dryly. “I do know you, Benjamin Tackitt, and that’s why I don’t trust a word that comes out of your mouth. Now, show me what’s in your damn pocket before I call Bill over here to force you to.”

The reply was quieter than any of the words before but held a dangerous undertone. “I don’t think so.”

Sam yelped as the world around him began to move. He was rocked from side to side in a swinging motion. A wave of vertigo hit him, and he had nowhere to anchor himself. His entire world was moving, but he couldn’t see anything to help ground him. It was as though he was on a rollercoaster with no way of knowing where it would turn or drop next.

No more than a handful of seconds went by before Sam heard a tremendous crash and found himself suddenly free-falling through the air. There was a horrendous, overwhelming sound as something massive hit the ground mere milliseconds before Sam slammed painfully into a hard surface. He lay stunned for a moment, making sure that nothing had been seriously injured in the fall.

“Just so you know,” the unexpected closeness of Ellen’s voice caused Sam to jump as his ears ached from the sound. “calling Bill was the easy way if you didn’t want to cooperate. I’m the hard way.”

Blinding light abruptly poured in from somewhere above Sam, causing him to tightly shut his eyes. Just before his eyes closed, he could have sworn that he saw the outline of a gigantic hand reaching towards him.

Instinctively, he crouched lower into the corner of the small space. Try as he might, he couldn’t get his eyes to open for more than a second before they clenched closed again. With his eyes shut tight, he couldn’t see what was going on around him, but he could definitely feel it.

Solid pillars surrounded him, pressing him in on all sides with unimaginable force. The moment to run away had passed. The pillars were far stronger than Sam could ever hope to be. There was no room to even struggle. He was completely at the mercy of the objects that had him in their grasp.

_Fingers. Those are fingers._ Sam’s brain helpfully supplied.

Before he could work up the will to try opening his eyes again, he felt himself being lifted out of his dark enclosure. Light shone on his eyelids as he was lifted through the air faster than any ride he had ever been on. He supposed that the feeling was comparable to taking off in a rocket. Gravity pushed heavily down on him even as the pillars lifting him surged ever upwards.

Without warning, Sam was dropped onto a warm, solid surface. He landed in a heap on the ground. Refusing to appear weak, he slowly forced his body to stand up. The surface had a strange plush texture to it that made it difficult to stand on. The ground below him jumped slightly with a rhythmic pounding much like the one he had woken up to.

Gathering his courage, Sam forced his eyes into a squint in order to gaze at the world around him. The first thing he noticed was a wall in front of him that was made of some dark cloth material. It was a humongous wall, filling up most of his vision. As his eyes became adjusted to the light, he realized that the wall was moving forwards and backwards at the same time that a small gust of wind was blown down on to him. With apprehension, Sam craned his neck to follow the wall ever upwards.

It was one thing to know that magic and the supernatural existed, but it was a whole other thing to be confronted with it. Sam was smart enough to have put two and two together based on the conversation he had overheard while in his dark prison, but nothing could have prepared him for the giant face that he found staring back at him.

The giant’s brown eyes, widened in shock, stared right back at him. Her lips were slightly parted, and Sam belatedly realized that she was the source of the warm breeze around him. The source of the breeze and the source of the pulsing under his feet.

Fear slammed into Sam as he realized that he was sitting in the giant’s hand in a room teeming with other giants. Prey instinct sank it’s claws into him powerfully enough to cause him to dash to the side of the hand, looking for a way to escape. That broke the giant out of her stupor. With a small exclamation, she brought her other hand under the one Sam was standing on to create a railing that trapped him in her palm. Sam threw out his hands to try to maintain his balance but found that his body simply refused to remain upright.

Unbidden tears flowed down Sam’s face as he fell to his knees, curling up into as small a ball as he possibly could.

“Don’t hurt me. Please, don’t hurt me!” Sam pleaded with the woman.

In the blink of an eye, Sam was, once again, in the darkness caused by her fingers surrounding him. He whimpered in fright as he remained curled up in the warm enclosure. Surely, any moment now, she would finish closing her hand to crush him. That’s what giants did in stories, right? They crushed people or ate them. It was inevitable. The moment Sam had been captured he was as good as dead. How could he fight against someone who was taller than a skyscraper?

Sam flinched violently as the woman’s voice sounded out, making his ears ring from the volume. “Bill, time to close up! Get everyone out. Everyone except for this bastard here on the floor.”

Curled up on the giant’s palm, Sam felt his heart beat painfully hard as he heard the sound of the impossibly large beings moving around him. The discord of their voices jumbled together sounded like an endless roll of thunder. It was deafening and shook his body to the core.

As the noises around him began to, thankfully, die down, Sam became aware of a massive series of earthquakes approaching him where he lay. The woman holding him was moving, her giant footsteps traveling up to where Sam was on her palm.

“Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?” A new masculine voice spoke up.

“Ben, here, told me that he’s traveling to do some business with Mina. Told me that the thing he’s trading was too valuable to be left alone so he keeps it in his pocket. Assured me that it wasn’t a dangerous artifact, just something Mina would pay well for.” The woman holding Sam explained. “That’s all fairly normal for a hunter so I didn’t think anything of it until his pocket started moving and I distinctly heard a voice coming out of it.”

The world around Sam opened up to the light. He dared a quick glance upwards. Three humongous beings were staring down at him. He yelped and covered his eyes. He couldn’t recall ever being so scared in his life. He just wished that he could be brave like Dean or, better yet, Dean could be here to protect him from the scary giants in front of him.

A loud angry voice echoed through the air around Sam. “You brought a supernatural creature into the Roadhouse, Ben? Damn it, Tackitt! How stupid can you get?”

“Supernatural creature or not,” the woman holding Sam spoke, “this boy is scared out of his mind. We are hunters, Ben. We either kill it or we leave it be. We never, never sell the creatures.”

“No, you see, it ain’t like I’m selling actual people here. These pests infest hotels and Mina will pay a pretty penny for creatures like it. I ain’t harming nobody with this thing.” Ben’s pleading voice cut through the air. “Look, if ya excuse me just this once, we can split the fee. It’ll be worth your while.”

“Split the fee.” The lady scoffed under her breath.

She locked eyes with the third man, nodding her head sharply. The wiry man, Ben, grinned at the two in triumph, holding his hand up for Sam to be deposited on. Before his arm could extend all the way, the other man grabbed it. He twisted the outstretched arm behind Ben’s back and put his lips to the man’s ear.

“You will get out of my bar and you will never come back.” He growled. “If we see your face here again, you’ll be pumped full of lead before you can set one foot in the doorway.”

Ben whimpered, taking a few steps forward to attempt to alleviate the pressure on his arm. “But what about him? You gotta let me take what’s mine! This is pure theft!”

The woman angrily huffed. “Goodbye, Ben.”

Sam’s body quaked as he watched the larger man roughly shove Ben out of the door. He shut it with a mighty slam and clicked numerous locks into place.

The moment that Ben was out of sight, the woman directed her attention back to the boy cowering on her hand. Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. “I ain’t never seen a creature like you before. Hell, I don’t even know if you can understand what I’m saying, but you don’t have to be afraid. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, I’m not gonna hurt you. That’s kinda the rule around here.”

A finger larger than his entire body gently rubbed Sam’s back as he whimpered from fear. Despite the effortless strength that he knew the finger possessed, he was not pushed around or hurt by it. The woman was taking care to be mindful of him. It was almost reassuring after everything that had happened. Sam could barely comprehend the fact that he had been in a man’s pocket and was currently on a hand that was bigger than his dad’s car.

“It’s okay. You’re safe. My name’s Ellen and that man over there is my husband Bill. What’s your name? Can you talk?”

Sam ever so slowly rose to his feet on the living surface. He quivered in place as his body came down from the dose of excess adrenaline. Running a hand through his hair, he took a few deep breaths to steel himself.

Try as he might, his voice shook as he addressed the giantess. “My name is Sam and I’m not a creature. I’m a human.”

“Human?” He flinched at the sound of Bill’s voice. “Son, I don’t know what kind of humans are only of couple inches tall. Whatever you are, it’s definitely not human.”

“But I am human! And I’m four feet and two inches tall. You’re the giant ones here!” Sam protested tearfully, wishing his voice didn’t sound so soft after listening to the much louder ones of the giants.

“Hate to break it to you, Sam,” Ellen’s voice lowered as she sighed, “but you’re not four feet tall. Not anymore. I’m five feet and five inches tall. Not a giant, but absolutely taller than you are right now.”

Sam took a moment to process through what she was telling him. If what she was saying was true, he was shrunken. It would have been impossible to wrap his head around if the proof of it wasn’t standing right in front of him. It all made sense now. This was the witch’s curse. This is what had happened to him when he was hit with that light.

“I’m...I was shrunk...” Sam sniffled. “Where’s my dad? Where’s Dean? What happened to them?”

Ellen blinked in confusion. “Your dad? Who’s Dean? Sam, are they the same size as you? Did Ben take them, too?"

Sam shook his head. “They’re human. At least, I think they still are. They’re the only family I have left, and they have to be okay! My daddy is John Winchester and Dean’s my brother. Please, you have to help me find them!”


	2. Kill it or Leave it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's been discovered by Ellen and Bill, but what will they chose to do? For Sam, the consequence of their choice is literally life and death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, again, for reading this work! I don't own the rights to Supernatural or any of it's characters! This story is based on Nightmares06 Brothers Apart Multiverse! 
> 
> This was beta-ed by the amazing CometDragon!

Ellen’s mouth gaped at Sam’s words. His plea to her to help find his family played on repeat in her head. She blinked in shock as she stared at the tiny figure on her palm.

 

“Winchester.” Bill’s voice rumbled around Sam, “As in John Winchester, the hunter?”

 

Sam nodded. “That’s my dad.”

 

Bill growled, causing Sam to cower in fear. “That’s impossible. I know John. He’s a damn good hunter and as human as they come. I can’t believe that his  _son_ would be some supernatural creature. Try again.”

 

Tears leaked out of Sam’s eyes as he craned his neck to look up at the intimidating hunter in front of him. Gathering up his courage, he clenched his hands into fists to help stem the tide of fear that threatened to overwhelm him.

 

“I’m telling the truth!” Sam yelled in a wavering voice. “I am Sam Winchester and I am...or I guess, was human. I really did get hit with a curse and woke up like this. I just want to go home...please...”

 

Ellen thoughtfully exchanged glances with her husband. His disbelieving expression was in stark contrast to her own.

 

Unfazed by her husband’s agitation, she spoke calmly. “There’s an easy way to verify this. It just takes a simple call.”

 

“You got Winchester’s number somewhere that I don’t know about?” Bill raised his eyebrow.

 

Ignoring him for the moment, Ellen placed her hand down on the bar top to allow Sam to stumble off. A blush colored his cheeks as he caught himself before he fell. Walking on a living surface was far harder than he had thought it would be.

 

“Just stay here for a minute, sweetie, while I make a phone call real quick,” she said soothingly while turning to face Bill. “I don’t have John’s number, but I do have the number for the one person who knows all the goings-ons in the hunter world. He's the person people always turn to for information.”

 

“Bobby.” Bill and Sam whispered almost in unison. 

 

Ellen grinned as she picked up the phone hanging on the wall and nodded in affirmation. “Bobby.”

 

Sam sighed in relief. If there was anyone who could help him straighten this whole mess out, it was Bobby. Bobby was more than just a family friend. He had practically raised the Winchester boys while their dad was busy hunting. They would spend weeks at a time roaming through his junk yard. He brought a sense of normalcy to their lives. In fact, it wasn’t a stretch to say that Bobby was more of a father to Sam than his own dad was.

 

At his diminished stature, Sam found that he was able to clearly hear the phone ringing as Ellen stood there, phone to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up.

 

Sam held his breath as he listened. The phone continued to ring with no end in sight. What would happen if they couldn’t get a hold of Bobby? What would these two hunters do to Sam if he couldn’t prove who he was? Ellen’s earlier words echoed in his ears. 

 

“ _We are hunters, Ben. We either kill it or let it be.”_

 

Sam’sthoughts ran wild.  _Am I going to die?_

 

Just as Sam thought no one would answer, a familiar, gruff voice came over the line. “Hello?”

 

“Hey, Bobby. It’s Ellen.” She turned to gaze down at Sam while she spoke. “We’ve got a bit of a situation here that we need your expertise on.”

 

“Alright.” Bobby sounded resigned. “Shoot.”

 

Ellen’s eyes trailed up to lock with her husband’s. Her lips tightened while she debated what exactly to tell Bobby. There was no easy way to speak about the situation in front of her. Before the last few minutes, she never even believed in the possibility of someone being shrunk, or that inches-tall humanoid creatures existed. Looking at the child in front of her, she frowned slightly. If she told Bobby about him, what would happen to him?

 

“Truth be told, I don’t even know where to start.” She admitted with an audible sigh.

 

“The beginning would be nice.” Bobby quipped. Sam found a grin working its way to his face. Leave it to Bobby to be as sassy as ever. No one could dish out the sass like the seasoned hunter.

 

“If I knew what the beginning was then I would start there.” Ellen testily replied. “I have never in my life seen something like this happen.”

 

“Ellen.” Bill cleared his throat. “That ain’t helping.”

 

She shook her head as if to clear away the distractions. Closing her eyes and taking a measured breath, she tried again. “Sorry. How about I start with this? Bobby, do you know John Winchester and his boys?”

 

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch out into an eternity. Sam couldn’t help but wonder what was taking him so long. Bobby had known Sam for just about as long as he had been alive. There should be no hesitation on that answer.

 

He startled when Bobby’s somber voice broke the silence, interrupting his thoughts. “It ain’t boys no more. Just boy. Sam was taken out by a witch a week ago.”

 

Sam stared incredulously at the phone. A week ago? How could he have lost so much time? Thinking hard, all that he could remember was Dean yelling at him while he was hit with the bright light. The next thing he knew, he had woken up in that pitch-dark place. A pocket, as he now knew.

 

“Sam got hit by a witch.” Ellen repeated hesitantly, pulling Sam back to the present. “That’s why I’m calling. I know what... happened to Sam after he got hit. At least, I think I do.”

 

Bobby’s gravelly voice surged louder in frustration. “You wanna start speaking sense anytime this side of next week? If you have information on the boy, then let me know!”

 

Staring at Sam, there was a hint of guilt in Ellen’s eyes. She stuttered out an attempt at a reply but struggled to find the proper words. Seeing this, Bill walked around the counter and gently placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

 

“Honey, he can’t help if you don’t tell him.” Bill’s voice whispered.

 

Ellen took a deep breath. “I know, but...I just can’t help feeling that I’m sentencing this child to death if I say it out loud.”

 

Bill took a quick glance in Sam’s direction before returning his gaze to Ellen. His voice lowered even more in a futile attempt to hide his words from Sam. “If he truly knows Bobby, then he’ll be fine. Bobby is never hasty. And we can’t be too careful. He may look like a child, but I won’t take any chances with my family.”

 

He deftly took the phone from Ellen and put it to his ear.

 

“Bobby? It’s Bill.” He spoke in a calm, firm voice. “What Ellen’s been trying to say is that we think Sam’s currently standing on our bar counter.”

 

There was a pause before the reply was croaked out. “What?”

 

“Sam told us that he was hit with a curse and that’s why he’s the way he is now. He wants to know where his dad and brother are, but we wanted to verify his identity with you.” 

 

It was Bobby’s turn to parrot a phrase back to them. “The way he is now? And what’s that supposed to mean exactly?”

 

Bill’s confident facade faltered for a moment as he searched for the right words. “He’s...well, Bobby, how tall would you say that Sam is?”

 

The answer came swiftly. “Around four foot something, I reckon. Why?”

 

Bill let out a humorless chuckle. “Because I’m looking at him right now and he can’t be more than two or three inches tall, at most.”

 

Sam tensed up at the declaration of his size. It was nerve wrecking to have it out in the open. A small part of him was afraid that Bobby would just hang up on them and he would be left at the mercy of these hunters.

 

The response was slow-coming, but graver than any tone that had been used thus far. “I’ll be there in a couple hours to check into this. Don’t tell nobody about him in the meantime and  _keep him safe_.”

 

“Will do.” Bill hung up the phone and peered down at Ellen’s worried face. “Bobby’s on the way. He just wants us to look after the boy in the meantime. Guess it won’t hurt anything to have him stick around for a bit. Not like he’s much of a threat at that size.”

 

Having said his piece, Bill walked out of Sam’s line of sight. Sam could hear him moving around in the background, but his attention shifted to be focused on the giant who remained in front of him.

 

Ellen nodded to herself without a word. She carefully made her way around the counter and sat down on the stool in front of Sam. Her massive hand landed beside Sam, causing slight tremors that had Sam shying away. Her face turned apologetic as she gazed at the small child in front of her.

 

With a heavy sigh, she spoke. “Well, I suppose, since you’re gonna be around for a bit, I might as well introduce you to the last person in our family. She’s been around hunters her whole life, so she’ll probably accept your situation easier than Bill or me. Tell me, Sam, how old are you?”

 

Sam swallowed nervously. “I’m ten.”

 

“My daughter is around your age, then. I think you two will get along fine,” she said.

 

Sam’s heartbeat sped up at the thought of even more giants. A part of him wanted to say no, he’d had all that he could handle, but a larger part of him was eager to meet someone his own age. Moving around a lot had meant that he often didn’t get to hang out with anyone besides his brother. Making friends was difficult when you were never in one place for more than a month.

 

It had been a source of contention between Sam and his dad. He had been getting more and more unhappy with the way his family lived. It wasn’t fair that he couldn’t make friends and go to the same school for more than a few weeks. He hated having no home, save for the Impala his dad drove around.

 

Now, though, Sam felt that he would give almost anything to be sitting in the Impala with Dean and his dad, normal-sized and right at home.

 

Home. His mind raced with the new train of thought. What if he could never go home again? Never see the Impala. Never hear those old songs playing from the cassette tapes or hear Dean singing along. Dean. What if he never saw Dean again?

 

His heart felt like it froze at that thought. How could he go through life without his big brother at his side? Dean was the one person that he relied on more than anyone else in the world.

 

“Jo, get your butt in here!” Sam’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he clasped his ears at the sound of Ellen’s shout **.**

 

There was a distant shout in response. “Coming!”

 

Sam shuddered involuntarily at the magnified sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. Ready or not, it was time to meet this Jo girl.


	3. A Pleasant Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Jo have their first interaction! Maybe she can help take his mind off of everything going on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! Once again, it's worth mentioning that none of this would even exist without the Brothers Apart Multiverse by Nightmares06! Please, go check out their works!
> 
> This chapter was beta read by the amazing CometDragon! 
> 
> I do not own Supernatural or any of it's characters.

Sam felt his anxiety arise as a series of loud, thumping steps echoed down the hallway. Accompanying earthquakes shook Sam’s world as a girl appeared at the entrance to the hallway. Sam guessed that she was probably about eight or nine years old, but it was hard to gauge from his new perspective. It was disconcerting to note that even the girl’s pigtails were taller than he was.

 

“What is it, Mom?” The girl’s voice cut through the air. Sam was treated to a view of Ellen’s back as she turned to face her daughter.

 

“Jo,” she said, “I want you to meet someone. He’s going to be staying with us for a little while. Now, he’s a little bit different from you and me at the moment.”

 

“Different?” Jo’s curious reply had Sam’s legs shaking.

 

Ellen continued. “You remember what your daddy and I do when we go hunting? Well, Sam is one of those victims that we help. He got hit by a witch’s curse and it changed his size a bit, but he’s still a kid just like you. You just need to be very careful when you’re around him.”

 

The reply was hesitant. “Okay?”

 

Sam’s neck was beginning to ache as he gazed up at Ellen. She spun around to look at Sam again. Her face was schooled into a gentle, calming expression. Leaning down to get closer to the child in front of her, Ellen gave him a reassuring smile. Sam took a step or two back as the giant face grew nearer and nearer. He had a front row seat to the guilt in Ellen’s eyes as she registered his fear. The regret that lingered in her gaze couldn’t be hidden from Sam with his new perspective.

 

“Hey, Sam.” She said softly, “I know that this is all pretty scary for you, but I think spending some time with someone your own age will do you some good, at least until Bobby gets here. And, while you do that, Bill and I will start looking for any information we can find on this curse. If there’s a way to reverse it, we will do it.”

 

Sam sucked in a deep breath before stuttering his reply. “That....that’s fine.”

 

“Okay.” Ellen moved her hand to settle palm up in front of Sam. “Ready to go meet my daughter?”

 

Slowly, Sam nodded his head, but quickly realized that his motions were too minuscule for the larger woman to make out. Not trusting his voice to be strong, Sam opted to answer Ellen by clambering onto her hand. It was surreal to willingly climb onto a hand. The warm surface under his feet twitched with every heartbeat. He wasn’t sure that he could ever get used to this.

 

_You don’t want to get used to this._  He reminded himself.  _We’re gonna find a way to_   _reverse this curse._

 

Sam shakily made his way to the center of the living platform, occasionally tripping on the foreign terrain. Upon reaching the center, he planted his feet firmly in preparation for being moved.

 

“Ready?” Ellen quietly asked him.

 

Sam gave her a thumbs up and spoke for good measure. “Go for it.”

 

“Okay.” She nodded. “Hold on.”

 

_To what_? Sam thought as her hand began to move.

 

Gravity pushed down on him as the hand rose seemingly miles into the air. The tremors resulting from her steps required Sam to outstretch his arms to remain upright. It was touch and go for a moment, but Sam managed to stay on his feet. With so much of his focus going to remaining upright, Sam almost missed the surprise etched on the girl’s face that loomed right in front of him. Brown eyes as big as his head widened as they zeroed in on the small boy. The girl’s mouth opened in a silent gasp. Ellen came to a stop directly in front of her daughter. Carefully, she held her hand at the same level as her daughter’s face.

 

“Sam, this is my daughter, Joanna Beth. Jo, this is Sam. I want you to keep an eye on him for a little bit.” Ellen said. “Just be very careful. This is all really new and frightening for him.”

 

Jo nodded at her mother then turned her attention back to Sam. “Hi, Sam. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Sam tentatively smiled. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

 

“Sam,” Ellen looked down at him, “I’m gonna ask you again to be sure, but are you okay to go with Jo until Bobby gets here? I want Bill and I to get a head start on figuring out how you got here and what we can do to reverse the curse, but if you aren’t comfortable with this, you don’t have to do it.”

 

“No. I...I’m fine.” Sam stuttered. He wasn’t about to do anything that would get in the way of being his normal size again. It would be nice to not be surrounded by looming objects and giants wherever he went.

 

“Okay. Jo, hold your hand up next to mine so Sam can cross over.” Ellen’s voice was calm and reassuring.

 

Jo slowly lifted her hand to rest right next to her mother’s. She was biting her lip in concentration, using all of her energy to make sure that her hand was held completely still for Sam.

 

“Alright, Sam.” Ellen gently spoke. “You can head across now. Don’t worry. We won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

 

Sam swallowed nervously. He tried not to let the two giants see how hard it was for him to give them his trust like this. His life was literally in their hands.

 

Taking one last deep breath, Sam carefully made his way over to Jo’s hand. A part of him thought it was interesting to note how different it was to walk on Jo’s much younger hand than it was to walk on Ellen’s palm. Jo’s skin was much smoother, with less wrinkles and more elasticity. It made it much easier for him to walk on. As he reached the center of her palm, Jo slowly moved her hand to rest against her stomach, creating a wall behind Sam. Her second hand came underneath the one Sam was standing on to form a wall in front of him.

 

“Sam, I’m gonna take you to my room. It’s only gonna be a moment.” The vibrations from Jo’s voice emanated from the wall behind Sam.

 

He opened his mouth to answer her, but promptly closed it when she began moving. For all her care in making sure Sam couldn’t fall, Jo took off towards her room at a fast pace that had Sam crouching in order to remain, more or less, upright. The world around him flew by too fast for Sam to catch more than just fleeting impressions of the building they were in. Sooner than seemingly possible, Jo was announcing that they had arrived in her room. She steadily lowered her hand down to lay flat on her bed. Without hesitation, Sam slid off her palm and on to the bed.

 

“Here,” she told Sam, “you can stay here, and I’ll sit on the floor so you can see me better.”

 

Sam made sure to turn his face up to speak to her as loudly as he dared. “Thank you.”

 

As Jo got settled on the floor, Sam sat down on the bed. Ever since he had woken up, his adrenalin-infused body had endured standing on difficult terrain for far longer than he had ever done in his life. Every limb that he had was shaking from the strain. It was beyond time for him to sit down for a bit. Once settled, the two kids took a moment to stare at one another. Huge brown eyes met small hazel ones mirroring the incredulous wonderment of the situation. One blink of the giant eyes broke the spell.

 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Sam quipped, channeling his older brother’s customary snark.

 

He smiled as he imagined all the colorful commentary that Dean would be giving. Then, his smile fell as he felt a pang of sorrow. He missed Dean and didn’t know if he would ever see him again.

 

“Mama said you were hit by a curse?” Jo questioned.

 

Sam humorlessly chuckled. “I started the day a bit taller than you, probably, got hit with a blinding flash of light from some lady who came into our hotel room, and woke up like this in some hunter’s pocket with about a week of my life apparently missing. I can’t see my dad or Dean and I’m waiting for Bobby to come say whether I am who I say I am. Guess it’s a good thing your parents think I'm harmless enough to let me stick around or they would have killed me. So, yeah, I was hit by a curse.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Jo answered. “I’m so sorry, Sam. That sounds awful.”

 

“It is.” Tears welled up in Sam’s eyes. He lowered his head so that the giant girl wouldn’t see him cry. Crying meant weakness and he didn’t need to give her any reminders of how weak he was compared to her.

 

Jo was quiet as she thought about what Sam had said. She opened her mouth a few times as if to speak and then closed it again.

 

Suddenly, she asked. “Who’s Dean? You mentioned him and your dad. Is he a brother or cousin or something?’

 

“Brother.” Sam answered.

 

Jo took a deep breath. “Well, if you want to, why don’t you tell me about him? I always wanted to have a brother or sister. It kinda sounds like fun.”

 

“It is,” Sam smiled, “and Dean’s the best brother in the world.”

 

The next couple of hours were spent reminiscing on Sam’s favorite memories of Dean. He hardly noticed that the time had passed. Talking about Dean somehow made the ache in his heart subside for a little bit. It was almost cathartic after everything that he had been through. Jo was a good listener, reacting to all the right things and adding in the occasional comment.

 

Sam jumped when Ellen’s booming voice rang down the hallway, interrupting his story. “Jo, bring Sam! Bobby’s here!


	4. Choices Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for the big decisions we've been waiting for. The choices made here could affect Sam for the rest of his life, however long these hunters choose that to be. What is in store of the poor, cursed child?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've lasted this long, thank you for making it to the last chapter! I've really enjoyed getting to explore this idea and I had tons of fun playing around with these characters! For once last shameless plug, go check out Nightmares06's Brothers Apart Multiverse if you haven't already! I promise that it's worth the read!
> 
> This chapter was beta read by the incredible CometDragon!
> 
> I do not own Supernatural or any of it's characters.

“Jo, bring Sam! Bobby’s here!”

 

Sam’s heart felt like it would beat out of his chest. It was finally the time that Sam had been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading. Bobby was here.

 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Jo asked as she lowered her hand beside Sam.

 

He nodded to her, appreciating that she didn’t make any move to grab him. He knew that he was just as outclassed by her strength as he was with any of the grown-ups. Yet, Jo had proved to be a considerate companion.

 

Climbing onto Jo’s hand, Sam was carried in the same manner as before, with her other hand creating a railing around him and her stomach making a solid wall behind him. Sam could easily hear the adult’s voices fall silent as he and Jo entered the room. Without a word, she brought him over to the counter where he was promptly let off her hand. Standing on the counter, he immediately felt overshadowed by the three gigantic figures looming over him. Bill and Ellen stood beside each other, looking down at Sam. Sitting directly in front of where Sam stood was Bobby. He was unmistakable with his scruffy beard and customary baseball hat. Gazing down at Sam, Bobby’s mouth gaped open in disbelief. It was one thing to know that Sam was cursed, and it was another thing entirely to have the proof right in front of him. Craning his neck up to take in Bobby’s enormous features, Sam took a shuddering breath to steel himself.

 

“Hi, Bobby.” Sam’s voice ever so slightly shook.

 

“Sam.” Bobby whispered. “Is it really you? Are you...are you alright, son?”

 

Sam clenched his hands into fists to try to steady himself. In some ways, it was far worse to have someone familiar in front of him. It drove home everything that he had lost. Every part of him wanted to fling his arms around Bobby and take comfort in his embrace. He knew, however, that he wouldn’t be able to do that while under this curse. 

 

_I wouldn’t even be able to put my arms around his little finger right now._  Sam thought to himself.

 

“Yeah, Bobby, it’s me.” Sam answered him. “I’m here and alive. I guess that’s about as okay as I can be. I just wanna see Dean and Dad.”

 

Bobby’s expression turned pensive. “You said that a curse did this to you. Do you know what happened to the witch that did this?”

 

“I...” Sam’s voice broke, “...I don’t know. I don’t know where she is. I just wanna find my family. You gotta help me!”

 

The adults all exchanged looks before Ellen spoke. “Jo, Sam, could you two give us a moment to talk? Go play in your room again.”

 

“Okay.” Jo let Sam back on to her hand and walked through the doorway into the hall.

 

Behind them, the adults slid shut the door to the hallway. Once it was completely closed, Jo tilted her head down to look at Sam.

 

“I hate it when grown-ups do that.” She complained.

 

Sam huffed. “Me too.  Especially when I know they’re talking about me.”

 

Jo hesitated for a moment before she said, “I know a way to listen in on them, but you can’t tell anyone about it.”

 

Sam immediately perked up at the idea. “I promise.”

 

Jo spun around and quickly made her way to a room just to the right. Once in the room, she came to a stop in front of a countertop.

 

“Sam, I have to do some climbing to get to where we need to go. I don’t want to put you down cause I think it’ll be faster this way. You just gotta hang on, alright?” Her voice was all business.

 

“Sure. Just be careful.” Sam replied. “I keep being told to hold on, but it’s not like there’s anything to hold on to.”

 

Carefully, Jo placed the hand with Sam on it palm-up and her free hand palm-down on the counter. Primarily relying on her free hand, she pulled herself up on to the counter. From the counter top, she turned to the refrigerator beside her and used the same method to climb on top of it. Once on top, she held the hand with Sam on it up to an air conditioning grate.

 

“Sam,” she whispered. “I need you to get off my hand really quick. I gotta pull off the grate for me to enter. I keep it unscrewed so I can get in, but it takes two hands to move it quietly.”

 

“Okay. Just let me get into the vent first.” Sam answered as he walked over to the grate.

 

Stepping through the grate was surprisingly easy, the act driving home just how small Sam currently was. He slid into the cold metal vent and into a world of darkness. A loud thump and a series of rumbles later, Sam was moving hurriedly out of the way for Jo to join him.

 

Once she was completely inside, Jo whispered. “This way.”

 

She held her hand out to Sam and let him step on before she began to move. It took a bit of finagling, but she was able to keep Sam on her hand while she crawled a little way down the vent. She led them through the maze of vents until they were overlooking the bar area where the adults were talking. Their voices drifted through the vents, echoing and tinny.

 

“...sure, Bobby?” Bill’s voice was tight with worry.

 

“It’s Sam, alright.” Bobby replied. “I’d know that boy anywhere. Damn near raised him, myself. Never knew someone could become a Little through spell-work, though.”

 

Ellen jumped in. “But he’s harmless? Not a monster?”

 

“Little’s ain’t monsters. They’re practically human. Hell, they can even be helpful if you can get them to talk to you. That’s the trick with ‘em, though. They’re just so vulnerable around us...that boy’s just been thrown into a world he’s not prepared for.” Bobby countered.

 

Sam felt his insides freeze up as he registered Bobby’s words. He couldn’t deny the truth in his words. He didn’t have any idea how to survive at this size. If he hadn’t been saved from that hunter by Ellen, he probably wouldn’t have been too long for this world, anyways.

 

“Then, what would you have us do, Bobby? The only thing Sam wants is to be reconnected with his family.” Bill chimed in.

 

“I’m...I’m not sure that’s the best idea.” Bobby’s deliberate words hit Sam like a rock. He felt like his heart leapt into his throat.

 

Ellen’s stunned reply came almost before Bobby finished speaking. “You would keep him away from his family? He’s just a kid!”

 

“Now, I ain’t normally one to keep parents and children apart.” Bobby’s voice dropped in volume as he continued. “But I’ve known John Winchester for about as long as he’s been a hunter. Never met a more single-minded hunter. As long as it ain’t a normal human, he kills it. Not even a second thought.”

 

“But, his own son...” Ellen protested.

 

It was Bobby’s turn to interrupt her. “If John didn’t view him as a human, he wouldn’t hesitate to take Sam out. Sam wouldn’t even be able to do anything about it.”

 

Sam felt sick to his stomach. As much as he wished he could, there was no way he could deny what Bobby was saying. Why hadn’t it occurred to Sam before? Of course, he would be the hunt now. He wasn’t human anymore.

 

Ellen’s voice was saturated in desperation. “Surely the boy’s brother...”

 

“Dean’s likely to go either way.” Bobby cut Ellen off. “I’ve never known him to go against his daddy, but he’s protective over his little brother.”

 

Bill snorted. “A child’s protectiveness could do little against a determined hunter.”

 

“Exactly.” Agreed Bobby. “Sam’s not safe there. We can’t, in good conscience, send that boy home.”

 

It was as if Sam had gone completely numb. In a whisper that was barely there, he echoed. “I can’t go home.”

 

Jo slowly reached a finger forward to gently rest on Sam’s shoulder. He jumped at the contact, almost having forgotten that Jo was there with him. 

 

“Sam...” she breathed.

 

“Let’s just get out of here.” Sam shrugged off her finger. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”

 

“Okay.” Jo began to back her way out of the vent as quietly as possible, but Sam took little notice.

 

He was trudging in a daze after Jo’s retreating form. How could he accept what he had heard? He couldn’t go home because his own father was likely to hunt him. Dean might even help him.

 

Sam had never imagined that he would feel fear towards his family, but now it was the most prominent emotion emerging in him at the thought of the two people that he held closest in his heart. He could never see them again or he would probably end up dead. Fury welled up in him as Sam thought about the witch who had cursed him. In a flash of light, she had taken everything away from him. His size was gone. His family was gone. His future was gone. He was alone in a world that was intensely unfamiliar to him. Sam’s thoughts drew to an abrupt halt as he stepped into the light that signified where the grate had been. As absorbed in his thoughts as he was, Sam had missed when Jo climbed out of the vent. She was now carefully fitting the grate back on. Once it was securely in place, Sam slipped through and stepped onto the waiting palm. No words were spoken as Jo carefully climbed back down to the floor. Sam doubted that Jo really knew what to say to him after what they had just heard. There was nothing that could be said to make this better.

 

“What are you doing?” Sam found himself falling towards Jo’s fingers when she flinched at the sudden sound of Ellen’s voice behind them.

 

“Sorry.” Jo whispered to Sam as he pulled himself to his feet. Turning to face her mom, she continued in a louder voice. “I was…just giving Sam a tour of the house.”

 

Ellen sighed softly. “Not a bad idea, Jo, but could you take a break for a minute? We would like to speak with you two.”

 

Sam and Jo exchanged knowing looks before nodding their assent. Silently, the trio made their way back into the bar. Bill and Bobby sat at the bar counter, their faces somber as they gazed at the tiny child standing on Jo’s hand.

 

“Could you let Sam off on the counter, JoJo?” Bill flashed a weary smile at his daughter.

 

With hands outstretched to keep his balance, Sam waited until Jo’s hand was completely settled before he ventured off of it to stand in the center of the giant beings around him. A lump formed in Sam’s throat as he thought about what they wanted to talk to him about. The worst part was that he couldn’t even resist their decision. He was far too small to fight back, and he couldn’t even deny that his father would hunt him. So, he stood silently, waiting for someone to speak. Anticipation and dread burned hot in the pit of his stomach. He knew what they were going to say, but he was determined to not be the one to start the conversation.

 

“Sam, look at me.” Bobby spoke in a world-weary tone of voice. “Boy, you’ve known me all your life, just about. Would you say that you trust me?”

 

Solemnly, Sam nodded with exaggerated motions. He hoped that he was small enough for Bobby to not see the tears that were welling up in his eyes. That would be the one benefit to this whole shrinking thing.

 

Bobby sighed, running a hand over his face. “Good. Cause I need you to trust me now. See, I ain’t one to sugarcoat things, so I’m gonna give it to you straight. Your daddy... well, he’s a lot of things, but he’s a hunter first and foremost. We think... I think that...” Bobby’s voice trailed off with a muttered curse of “...balls.”

 

Sam took a deep gulp of air before speaking, hoping his voice wouldn’t break. “You think that he would hunt me now that I’m not human.”

 

None of the adults would meet Sam’s eyes as he stared up at them. Guilt was plastered on each of their faces.

 

“Now, Sam, it ain’t that you’re not human.” Bobby finally replied, “You’re just a little different right now and that difference could put you in danger.”

 

Ellen interjected. “We would like to give you a choice. You can stay here with us until we can find a way to reverse this curse, or you can go with Bobby if you don’t want to stay here. We just can’t guarantee how safe you’ll be at his place since your daddy likes to drop by there often. We wish we didn’t have to consider it, but we don’t know what he might do to you if he found you.”

 

“We promise that you’ll be a part of our family for as long as you’re here.” Bill stated as he put his arm around his wife.

 

Sam closed his eyes as he tried to process everything. How could he possibly make this choice when all he wanted was to be reunited with his family? Yet, he knew that the one thing he wanted was the one thing he couldn’t do. He had to play this safe.

 

“I...I can stay here.” Sam decided. “But I already have a family.”

 

He heard Bobby chuckle quietly. “Idjit. You got a blood family, sure, but it don’t end there. I consider you family and I know these folks will, too, if you give ‘em a chance. Don’t deprive yourself of love just because you can’t be with part of your family.”

 

Now, it was Sam’s turn to look guilty. He was upset about the situation, of course, but that was no reason to reject an offer of hospitality that was given in good will. His eyes burned with tears as he raised his eyes to look at Ellen, Jo, and Bill. They were good people. He knew that Bobby wouldn’t even have considered letting him stay if they weren’t. Sam ran a hand through his hair while his eyes lowered to the ground. He felt his heart ache as he thought about what he was choosing. He could never replace the hole that his father and Dean’s loss made in his life. He could, however, make room in his heart for an adopted mother and father.

 

_And a sister_. He felt the beginnings of a small smile at the thought.

 

Nodding to himself, Sam lifted his face to his new family. Looking at their kind faces, he reminded himself under his breath, “Family don’t end in blood.”


End file.
